Demonic Detective
by peonyrose100
Summary: (Remake) When Botan comes across a mysterious, red pendant, nothing has ever been the same. Now, she has to take a few tests to become a Spirit Detective? What else will she have to deal with? (AU)
1. Chapter 1 - A rather strange birthday

Chapter 1 - A rather strange birthday

It happened in a dark alleyway, fireworks lit up not far off. It happened at a summer festival 18 years ago.

When I was a little girl.

I witnessed my parents' murder.

There was a lot of blood. So much that my parents were almost unrecognizable.

There was a man there. He had his back towards me, so I couldn't see his face very clearly, if at all.

I was dizzy, my young mind couldn't comprehend what I was seeing. My brain couldn't compute the situation. The man muttered something to me, but I couldn't hear it well, then he fled. Not a trace left of him. I heard shouting coming from behind me. A woman screamed and a man told me to not look. It was too late. I had looked enough, and then I fainted.

xxXxx

The girl groggily sat up in her bed as she blinked several times. How long had it been since she remembered that night? She remembered every little detail despite the age she was. That kind of image burned into her memory, never to leave her alone. She felt dizzy. She put her hand to her head.

"Will I ever forget?" She muttered, her hand falling to her side once again. She let out a smile as a few birds were perched outside on a tree. "Cute!"

"Botan? Are you up?" Asked an elderly lady outside her door.

"O-oh, yes! I'm up, grandma!" The lady knew this was the sign that she could enter. She slid open the shoji door, a small grin forming.

"Looks like you had a nice sleep, Botan, if your bed hair is any indication." At that comment, Botan walked to her mirror and growled.

"Grr, why is my hair always like this?!" She complained as she began to brush her hair. The old woman let out a laugh.

"That's my dim-witted granddaughter for you." Botan turned around and spat her tongue out at her.

"With your hair you can't tell if you have bed hair or not!" Botan quickly moved out of the way as one of Genkai's slippers went towards her head. "Looks like you're in a good mood today. I would have had no chance of dodging that slipper otherwise!"

"Hmph, maybe so. Did you forget it's your 22nd birthday today?"

"Uh, yeah. I really don't see why people celebrate becoming one year older. Just seems kind of, I don't know, stupid..." She replied as she continued to brush her hair. "And besides, I have to work today..."

"I'll be making your favourite food tonight." That made Botan's mood brighten.

"Really?! It's been a while since you made it! Now I have something to get me through the day." She saw Genkai give her a dark look. "O-other than you off course! I always look forward to seeing you everyday!" Genkai nodded as she got up to leave the room. As she was about to step out of the room she turned back towards Botan

"Be careful, alright?" This caught Botan's attention.

"Hm?"

"I feel a strange energy in the city. Just, just be cautious on your way home. It's almost winter, so it'll probably be dark by the time you leave work." At that, she shut the girl's door and made her way down the corridor. Botan blinked once, twice, three times.

"What was that all about? Strange energy? Well, I've heard grandma say weirder things before." She grinned as she looked at her hair in the mirror in it's normal ponytail. An image of the man from 18 years prior flashed in her mind. "Come to think of it, that man also had a ponytail, didn't he?" She fiercely shook her head, she got dizzy soon after. "This isn't like me! Get a hold of yourself Botan!" She threw her fist in the air. "You must seize the day! Yeah!"

Genkai was leaning by the wall near her room, listening in. 'So, those dreams still haunt her.' She pushed herself off of the wall and went towards the kitchen. 'Off course they would, to see such images at a young age such as hers? They would drive a strong man mad.'

xxXxx

"I'm leaving now!" Botan yelled as she walked out of the Temple. She was wrapped up in a coat much too big, along with a scarf.

"Be careful." Genkai called back, sipping her tea.

"Sure." She began her long walk down the steps leading to the Temple. She didn't rush as she always leaves early, making sure there was plenty of time for her to admire her surroundings. She smiled brightly as a robin landed not far away. "Hey little fella!" She stuck her hand out, some bird food splayed out. The robin immediately went up to her and flew to her hand, taking a bit.

"You always appear here, don't ya?" The bird tweeted, as in saying yes. After it took it's fill, the bird flew away. She let out a quiet sigh as she resumed her trek towards her destination. A leaf landed right in front of her, but that's not what caught her eye. Whatever it was, it shined red. As she walked closer towards it, she realised it was a necklace. A pendant. "So pretty." When she touched it, a strange sensation overcame her. As if the pendant was rejecting her.

"A-a piece of jewerelly doesn't have that kind of power."

 _'I feel a strange energy in the city. Just, just be cautious on your way home.'_

'Could this be what grandma was referring to?' She ignored the strange feeling as she picked it up. She continued to stare at it for a time until she vigorously shook her head. "It's just a necklace silly!" She put it in her backpack, looking around once more. "No one's around. I wonder who it belongs to?" Shrugging, she hummed as she trekked down the path.

xxXxx

It was hectic, to say the least. It was a cold morning, and so the cafe had many customers. The owner was rushing around, begging for the clock hand to turn to 10.

"Hey! Mr Sasaki! Can I have another coffee over here?!" Yelled a male customer.

"Yes! Comin' right up!" The man yelled back. He took a deep sigh as he looked pointedly at his employee, the girl nodded and went to the coffee machine. "Yer a life saver, Maya."

"I serve to please boss!"

"Don't call me boss...makes me feel old, ya hear?" He spoke, slightly embarrassed. Maya hummed.

"Yeah." When the sound of the chimes rung, he turned around, forcing a smile to form.

"Welcome to our-"

"Boss, it's only me." Botan said as she stepped into the cafe. The man's smile brightened.

"Oh, thank goodness. Yer finally ere'!" Botan tilted her head in slight confusion. "It's been really busy today fer some reason. I've barely had any time to think let alone serve. Oh, and let me introduce my newest employee-"

"Botan?!" Maya shrieked as she pointed at her. "What are you doing here?!"

"M-Maya?! I'm the one that should be asking that!" Sasaki looked to and fro between the two of them, utterly confused.

"Ah, so you two know each other already? Well, tha's jus' perfect! Introductions are no longer needed. Tha's good." When he realised the two had not moved an inch, he let out an irritated sigh. "Listen, whatever beef ya two had in the past, ya need ta let it go! Now!" He clapped loudly which got the two's attention. "Get ta work, or have ya forgotten how busy we are?" The two nodded as they went to work, glaring daggers at each other while doing so.

The whole morning was completely hectic. The number of customers had been coming non-stop, and the workers were running ragged, until lunch finally came around. Sasaki sat at the lunchroom, happily eating on a sandwich. He looked up when Botan arrived and sat down opposite him. She too took out a sandwich and was quietly eating at it. He wanted to ask her about her and Maya's relationship but the dark aura around her was stopping him. "U-um, Botan-san. I-is there something, b-bothering ya? A-are ye jus' tired? I can understand tha' if it's..." She turned her dark aura on him. He jumped out of his chair. Said object falling over backwards onto the hard ground. The noise seemed to have jolted her from her earlier state.

"Huh?" She stood up, leaning over the table to stare down at him. "Um, sir? Why are you on the floor? Did you trip over? It must be your old age. I told you that you might want to retire soon." Sasaki began to shake in aggravation.

"I keep telling you people! I'm not old!"

xxXxx

"Oops, I guess I did go a little over-board there. Ah well." The rest of the day went quickly enough, and to her surprise everyone had yelled happy birthday to her and even got her cake. She and Maya even made up for the day, since it was her birthday. 'But I doubt this truce will hold out...knowing how she operates...' Memories of the past came back to haunt her then. Memories of when they actually got along, and times, when they didn't. The latter taking over in number.

That was when she remembered the pendant from earlier. "Oh yeah." She dug around in her bag and pulled it out. Her fingers smoothing over the crimson surface. "I was meant to ask around, wasn't I? Looks like I'll hold on to it, for a while anyway." Not like she was complaining. The necklace was a beautiful shade of red, although it looked quite old, seeing as you could see the chain rusting. It was barely wearable. Maybe she should buy a new chain? "Hm." She shook her head as she pocketed the pendant. "Who cares? As long as I can still wear it." She grinned as she continued down the road. She was so happy to get home that she almost didn't see the tiny creature that was injured. "Hm?"

It had wings, pointy ears, blood and-

Wait, blood?!

"Ah, you poor bat!" She knelt down beside it. She was relieved to see that it was still breathing. She gently, gently picked it up as to not cause it further harm. It let out a light squeak but thankfully nothing more. "Don't worry lil fella, you'll be safe with me." She immediately went onward to the temple, dreading the stairs she would have to climb.

xxXxx

"Hm, it's just like you to bring a stray creature back home. You usually did this a lot when you were a child."Genkai said, tending to the bat's injuries.

"I did? I don't remember ever doing so, strange..." Botan replied. "Oh, and will the little guy be okay?" Genkai nodded.

"He'll be fine. He's a strong one. Although, his injuries would leave any normal creature of it's size in writhing agony." Botan hummed in response, sitting a little bit closer. "All he'll need now is some food and rest then he'll be healthy.

"Oh, thank you grandma. I appreciate it!" Genkai nodded. She stood up and went towards the door.

"I'll be making dinner soon. When he wakes up, be sure to feed him some fruit." At Botan's nod, Genkai left and closed the door behind her. Botan let out a sigh as she looked at her house guest. The bat seemed to be sleeping more peacefully since his injuries were healed. She let out a smile.

"I'm glad I found you when I did. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened." She let her finger gently touch it's head and rubbed the fur there. It moved it's head towards her finger. It slowly opened it's eyes, and stared up at her. She thought it was the cutest thing she ever saw, but, she knew she would hurt it if she continued to pet it. So she brought her hand back. The creature continued to stare at her, it's head tilting to it's right. She relaxed a little, happy knowing it was finally awake. She sat back, getting her bag. She searched around, grinning when she finally found the object she was looking for. She brought the necklace up to her eyes, and tilted it to the side, making the surface shine.

She didn't know why she felt so transfixed to this pendant, there was just something that was pulling her in. As if forcing her to look at it. Which was impossible, right? 'Maybe grandmother should have a look at it?' She looked below her at the bat and realised it was also looking at the pendant.'Maybe it wasn't just me after all?' She shrugged and then stood up. She was startled when the creature started to move. "Hey! Don't move anywhere, your injuries haven't healed yet. Far from it actually..." Honestly, she felt stupid talking to an animal. She sighed as the bat continued to move from the cushion it had been resting on. She gently picked the creature up and put it back on the cushion. The creature hissed at her as it reached one of it's injured wings towards the necklace.

'Okay, now I know this is no ordinary necklace...' In an attempt to calm the animal down, she hid the pendant in her bag once again. As she hoped, the creature did indeed calm down and it went back to sleep once again. "That's a relief." She stared at her backpack. "What the hell was that about? I need to ask grandma, pronto." She picked up her baby pink bag and quietly shut the door behind her. "Grandma?" She called as she entered the kitchen area. Confusion took over her as her grandmother was nowhere to be seen. She could have sworn the aroma of tea leaves was wafting through the air earlier. "Grandma...?" She dropped her bag as she began to walk at a quicker pace.

"Grandma, where are-" She stopped mid-sentence when Genkai's pink hair could be seen behind the counter. "Grandmother!" She bolted forward, going to her knees and holding Genkai's head to her lap. She began to feel for a pulse, sweat dripping from her forehead. A small smile graced her features when a pulse was felt. Faint, but still there. There was no blood, injuries or anything indicating that she was attacked. "What happened?" She thought out loud. "Ah, right. I should phone an ambulance."

"I don't think that'll be necessary, little girl." A cold chill went down her spine when a smooth but menacing voice cut through the air. She slowly turned around, hoping, yet not hoping, to see the owner of the chilling voice. A perplexed expression took over when nobody showed themselves to her.

'Am I going crazy? There's nobody here.'

"Wrong direction." A pair of bony hands crept around her neck. They started to play with her side hair a second later. Her body went stock still. Too afraid to move an inch, fearing one his long fingernails would scratch her skin. "No need to fear, young girl. I just want to know where that pendant may be."

'Pendant? The one in my bag? Why does he want to know that?' So many questions formed in her mind all at once. It was hard to keep up.

"Your eyes tell me..." He leaned down closer to her. "...that pendant? Why does he want that? Am I correct?" Her eyes widened. She was never the best person to go to to keep secrets. She really wishes that weren't true, especially now. Now that a psychopath was asking her.

'Maybe if I just give him what he came here for, he'd go away.'

"Oh, yeah. N-now I remember. Sure, it's in my bag! The pink bag by the kitchen counter." She wanted to point to it, but his overbearing presence was still too much for her. 'Hopefully with that, he'll go away and I can get grandma some medical attention.' She began to panic when the man made no movement. She hesitantly looked up, but was not expecting what she saw. Yeah, he had a creepy look about him, sinister to add to that, but he also had a rather handsome face, from what she saw anyway. She wondered what his lower face looked like without the mask covering it. His eyes were a beautiful amethyst, almost the same shade as hers. He wore all black, he resembled that of a crow.

"I thought as much. A rather strong demonic energy is coming from it." He stared down at her. Botan could swear she saw somthing in his gaze for a second, however, what it was, she couldn't place. He let her go then, however not too gently. With the dark atmosphere gone, she glared daggers at him. If he felt it, he didn't say. He walked elegantly towards her bag, leaning gently and picked it up. He dug around and picked the necklace up with a clawed hand.

'Wait, clawed? I knew his fingernails were long, but they look like claws of an animal. Minus the paw, off course.' She felt movement to her right and immediately helped her grandmother sit up right. "Grandma, will you be okay?" Genkai took a while to come to her senses.

"Botan?" She asked shakily. That was when Botan realised Genkai's skin was starting to turn purple

"I-it's me. Hey you!" She yelled towards the stranger. The man looked towards her, giving her a disinterested look. "Why did you attack my grandmother?"

"I did not attack her. She was already out cold when I got here. So, before you begin to point fingers, why don't you look at her legs." Botan glared at him before doing as he said. She didn't see anything.

"Do you take me for a fool? There's nothing there!" The man let out an irritated sigh.

"Fine. I suppose this'll have to do then." He walked towards her and knelt down on Genkai's other side. Botan's grip on Genkai tightened. This did not go unnoticed by the man. "I can understand your hesitance with me, but if you wear this necklace you'll be able to see them. I've purified the pendant, so ordinary humans like you will not be affected by it's dark aura." He put the necklace around her neck. At first, she didn't feel any different, but after a minute she started to see things she hadn't before. Such as insect like creatures crowding around Genkai's feet.

"Ack! What the- What are these horrid things?!" She shrieked as she looked downwards. The insects reacted to her shout by looking at her.

"Hey! Watch who you call horrid, rude girl!"

"Uh, s-sorry. Hey, wait. You're the ones making my grandma ill!" The insects stopped wriggling around. They were a cross between worms and spiders, a combination she did not appreciate much. One looked up to Genkai.

"Oh, you're right. Hey boys, we should back up a little!" The others nodded and did just that. Genkai's colour returned to her face. Botan helped her it up.

"Thank you, Botan. There is nothing to worry about." Botan smiled in response. Happy to see her grandmother return to her usual self, but still wanted to be careful. "How are you able to see them?"

"Oh, this guy here-" She pointed to her left but realised the man was already gone. "...helped, me... I wonder where he went?"

"Hm, I did hear another voice earlier. Was he dangerous? Did he hurt you?"

"Well, he did seem like a dangerous guy, and I don't know why he had to be so creepy to add to that, but other than startle me (or maybe terrify me would be more accurate), he didn't hurt me." She pointed to the pendant around her neck. "He said he purified this of evil, or something, and gave it to me, then bam, I was able to see, well, whatever they are." She looked towards the insects when she said the last bit. Genkai nodded slowly, trying to comprehend what motivations the man could have.

"I, see."

"Grandma?"

"Yes?"

"What are these things?" The insects had now began to swarm around the young girl. She was nervous that she may also get sick. Some strange birthday this has been so far.

"They're Wormpiders, demon insects. They're only children now, but even as adults they aren't much bigger than a greyhound."

'She makes that sound like it's small, wait...'

"Demons?!"

xxXxx

"Karasu? Karasu? Answer me, will you?" A female's voice called. The voice was coming from a dark alleyway in an abandoned neighbourhood. The man from before kicked a tomato soup can from in front of him. The sound startled a nearby cat and it fled.

"I hear you, Ayame. Is this about my report?" His dark voice held a little anger behind it.

"Off course. The same as last time?"

"It was a dud, a fake. How many more of these senseless pendants are there?" He grinded out. He kicked another can, and this time it hit the back of a man. He was in the middle of making out with his girlfriend, and he was far from happy from being interrupted.

"Yo man! What's the big idea?!" He yelled as he began to walk towards the crow demon. Karasu did not have the patience. When the man got within 5 feet of the man, Karasu reached out and grabbed the man by the neck.

"Such fragility you humans possess. You're lucky my right arm is already holding something, otherwise your face would be a bloody mess already."

"Karasu, do not harm him. Let him go, remember your deal with Koenma. Harm anyone but your target, and you know what will happen." Ayame scolded. This one sentence was enough to convince him to let the man go, although his menacing glare was enough to scare the couple off.

"Hn, you always ruin our fun."

"Yes, and I am glad to hear of it. So, it was another dud? And I don't know how many there are out there. However we mustn't give up. One of them possesses-"

"I know already. You've told me many times before." The girl coughed to clear the silence that came after.

"Anyway, we've covered all the known locations. Come back to HQ and wait until we discover more." With that, she shut off communication with him and left him alone in the dark, silent alleyway. Just how he liked it, however, add a few explosions here and there and it would be perfect.

'Alas, it is not to be at this point in time.' He started to make his way back, his soft footsteps making little to no sound in the small alleyway. He had almost made it to the end of the path when the sound of a crow was heard overhead. He tilted his head upward to get a better view of it. "Hello, my old friend." He reached his arm towards it. The crow immediately flew towards him and perched on his index finger, feet not causing any scratch or bruise as he did so. He brought the crow closer to him. "I have a small task for you." He brought the crow's forehead closer to his mouth and whispered. "Keep an eye out on that blue-headed girl. She may, be useful in the future. Maybe for a certain test." His arm went upward and the bird took flight once again, heading to start its task. Karasu continued to stare on from where he last saw it, the bright moon causing highlights to appear throughout his jet black hair.

"Such an interesting girl she is." With that, he tore his eyes away from the sky and continued his way back to his destination.

xxXxx

"S-s-so, you're telling me that Demon world and Spirit world actually exist? That when we die, our souls get judged by a prince? Who can send us to get either reincarnated or sent to Limbo? Is that what you're saying?!" Botan asked all at once. They had moved to the kitchen table, each having a cup of tea in their grasp. It had taken Genkai a while to explain everything to her, and off course, it was a lot to take in. The Wormpiders were still hanging around, Genkai feeding one a biscuit. "And I still don't understand why these little guys are here."

"Momma said Master Genkai would be taking care of us." One near her stool had said. She hummed in response then turned her attention back to the older woman.

"They don't seem dangerous, so why did you faint before?"

"Oh that. Well, they all started crowding around me all at once, the fools. You see, the Wormpiders, when bundled together, can form a powerful demonic aura. I had told them time and time again to not do such a thing, but they seemed to have forgotten that important detail." The Wormpiders started to shrink away when Genkai glared fiercely at them.

"W-we're sorry! We did forget!" One pleaded.

"But we were so hungry!" Said another. Genkai let out a tired sigh as she continued to feed the Wormpider from before.

"You may be small, but your appetites are something to fear." Botan was about to eat a biscuit of her own when another Wormpider looked at it longingly. She shrugged before giving it the food.

"Hope that'll make you happy..."

"Thank you Miss!" The girl couldn't help but smile down at the creature. While at first, looking at it made her slightly uncomfortable, now, she actually found it rather cute, in it's own strange way.

'There are still many questions to ask about every-' She stopped mid-sentence. She had the feeling she was forgetting something. Then it hit her."Oh my gosh! I forgot to check on the bat!" Botan cried as she shot out of her chair and bolted for her room. Meanwhile, Genkai had been sipping on her tea.

When Botan had gotten to her room, she was more than a little surprised to see, not a bat, but a man, with wings and pointy ears sleeping where the bat should have been. She didn't know how to react. Scream for Genkai to come or just sit there, and stare. She decided to go with the former.

"Eeeeeek!"

Tbc

AN - I hated how the old version was going and I want to get back into writing again!


	2. Chapter 2 - Trust Issues

Chapter 2 Trust Issues

"Eeeek!" Genkai spat out the tea that was in her mouth.

"What on earth?" She ran out of the kitchen and into Botan's room. "What happened?!" She looked down at her granddaughter in confusion. She looked just fine, if a little bit scared. So, she decided to look in the direction Botan had been looking at. Now she understood. A man with long jet, black hair was staring back at them. A painful looking gash was located on his left shoulder, the same location where the bat had been injured, add the pair of powerful wings and you definitely got a bat demon.

"A bat demon. So the little fella is actually you. Thought the creature was a demon." Botan turned her head towards the older woman.

"What?! You knew he was a demon but didn't tell me?"

"What could I have told you? You weren't aware of demons at the time."

"O-oh yeah..." The man looked between the two, amused. He moved so he was sitting cross-legged. Folding his arms. The movement made Botan turn back towards him in slight fear. She was still new to demons, afterall. "So, w-what do we do about him, anyway? He seems well enough to leave, right? Right?" Genkai hummed in response as she looked at him too. His wound did look deep, but the bleeding had stopped. However, the demon seemed to twitch here and there, so other injuries were most likely present.

"I'm not so sure about that." Genkai replied as she stepped closer to the Yokai. The man saw her coming and made a move to get a weapon. Botan noted how confused he looked when he couldn't find what he was looking for. She also noted how handsome he was. Although he was similar yet different to the man from earlier.

'Was he also a demon, I wonder?' She was taken from her thoughts when the man let out a growl as Genkai got even closer. "Grandmother. I don't think that's a good idea..."

"Where is it?!" He spat out. His right arm was still moving behind him.

"Where is what?" Genkai asked.

"Dammit Lady. Where's my scythe?!"

"Scythe?" Botan asked out loud. The demon brought his gaze to her, which she jumped at. "U-um, when I saved you earlier, I didn't see anything else. Granted, you were a bat then. Ha ha ha!" The yokai blinked a few times then his expression softened.

"I see."

"What happened out there?" Genkai asked. The man didn't sense any danger from these two humans, and he knew he could wipe them out easily enough if he needed to. So he relaxed somewhat.

"I was attacked. Not sure by who, but they were strong. Actually, my memory has been quite fuzzy ever since I came here to Ningenkai."

"You sure you should be telling us this? We could have attacked you for all you know." Genkai questioned which the man snorted at.

"As if you could, but by all means try. Even injured I could kill the both of you no problem." This made Botan even more uncomfortable. No way could Genkai let him stay here after saying that. Genkai's shoulders began to shake then a small laughter soon after. The other two looked at her as if she were crazy. "So you do have a death wish?"

"Grandma! Don't egg him on. I'm too young to die!" Genkai's chuckles began to subside.

"Oh, I have a little technique which was created to deal with demons like you. How do you think I was able to live for so long without being killed by one of your kind?" She held out her right hand and a bright glow started to form. The yokai quickly got to his feet, trying to ignore the pain. Botan noticed that his wound started to open once again. Despite the fact that he was a demon, he was still injured. So, without thinking she went towards him.

"Grandma! His wound is reopening!" She was standing in front of him now. "I have no idea what you are planning, but if you injure him any more you may kill him." At her words, Genkai made the light fade. The demon behind her let out a chuckle of his own. 'Oh crap! My back is towards him! He can kill me right now if he really wanted to... What was I thinking?!'

"Don't know if what you just did was brave or stupid." He joked. His chuckle subsided as he let out a pained cry. The wound was indeed much deeper than what Genkai had thought. Botan shook her head and turned towards him.

'Now's not the time to be acting like such a wimp! You've seen and experienced much scarier things!' A brief flashback to the night of her parent's death occured then. 'Now's not the time for that either!' She knelt down along with him, hands getting closer to his injury. The look he gave her was obviously distrust. "Look, if I wanted to hurt you, I could have done it while you were asleep, and I could have let my Grandmother continue with whatever the hell she was about to do." After she said that, the yokai gave in and let her investigate his wound. Genkai stood behind Botan, confident that she could dress the wound herself.

"What is your name, Yokai? Might as well tell us. We'll tell you ours." The man looked back up at her.

"Kuronue. Just, Kuronue." The three stayed silent after. The only sounds were Botan working to dress Kuronue's wound. She sat back, smiling happily when she was done. Kuronue carefully tested his shoulder out. He, too, was happy with the result.

"Impressive!" Botan stepped back as the man investigated his bandaged wound further. "So, your names?"

"Oh, I'm Botan Fukuyama!"

"Genkai Higurashi. She's my granddaughter, in case you couldn't already tell."

"Oh, I hadn't realised..." He replied sarcastically. The three were once again silent, until Botan spoke up.

"So, would anyone like tea?"

xxXxx

A crow had witnessed the whole thing. His eyes brightening as he recorded the scene. Behind his eyes, Karasu also saw everything. He was standing in a brightly lit hallway, much to his obvious disliking. He preferred dark places over everything else. Oh, and explosions. 'If only the whole world were just those two things, then I would be satisfied.' He thought, as he let a grin form on his face. He continued to look on through his crows eyes, observing the girl.

"Stalking again?" Asked a small girl with ginger hair. The crow yokai let out a sigh as he heard her get closer.

"Stalking is hardly the word I would call it." He replied, his eyes getting narrow.

"But you're not denying it." The girl spoke back. She was not afraid of the man, not when they were in this place. She knew Koenma had someone watching his every step. "Always knew you were into that stuff."

"I see. I knew telling you otherwise was a lost cause. You never do listen to others, no matter what trouble you seem to get yourself into." The young girl tilted her head, eyes blinking.

"I do listen, sometimes." She muttered the last word to herself. Karasu heard loud and clearly. He closed the screen that was floating in front of him and sharply turned and walked in the opposite direction of the girl. "Hey! Where are you going?!" She yelled as she ran to catch up with him, much to Karasu's annoyance.

"To bring my report to your...lord."

"Oh." She stopped mid-step. "Well, come play with me when you're done!" This made him stop. She blinked once again, confused at his actions. He stood there for a few more seconds before finally speaking.

"Do you not fear me, kid?"

"Yeah, but I'm safe here. Koenma won't let you hurt me!" She replied.

"Hmph. I can slit your throat in an instant. You'd be dead before Koenma could even comprehend what had occured." This made the girl slightly nervous. "I may have an allegiance with him now, but I can break our deal at any time. He is merely a stepping stone to something much greater, that's all this is."

"T-then..." She started. He turned around in curiosity. "Then, why don't you...? Break the deal, I mean?"

"Simple. He may be a mere stepping stone, however," That was when his eyes had a cold glint to them. "...he is still a stone I must cross in order to continue, no matter how much I may want to skip it." He turned around once again and continued on his way towards Koenma's office. The girl fell backwards and onto the ground, trembling. Maybe she had misjudged this man? That small glimmer of hope that he may have a good side gone in the wind.

'No one with even a little good inside them can have cold eyes like that!' She thought.

"Hinageshi! There you are." Ayame called. The girl shook her head and got back onto her feet. She reverted to her energetic self that she was most known for. She looked towards the older ferrygirl, waving. "I saw Karasu walk down this way. Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

"Nope! He was just being a stick in the mud, as usual!" She replied. Ayame let out a relieved sigh.

"That's good, but I keep on telling you to stay away from him. You really need to listen to those older than you, you know?" Hinageshi nodded, bright smile still pleasant. "I know he saved you that time, but you have to consider the fact that it was his mission to do so."

"I know..."

xxXxx

"This really hits the spot!"

"Glad you like it, freeloader." Genkai responded.

"I'm injured! I can't do shit like this." The bat-winged yokai said. He also pointed to his injured shoulder. "Trust me, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for this injury." He whined. Botan let out a laugh. It was silent between the three of them then. Genkai was always the quiet person when there was no need for a sarcastic remark, so the girl was used to the house being quiet. Now there were demons at their dinner table who weren't afraid to remind them of their prescence. It will defintely take a while to get used to this new atmosphere.

"So, then, where would you be right now if you weren't injured?" She wondered. The man took another sip of his tea.

"Hm, now what was I doing? I don't remember much." He answered once he sat the cup back on the table. Genkai looked at him from the corner of her eye.

"I see, amnesia it seems."

"Maybe. Maybe not. I ain't got a clue."

"Obviously."

Silence once again. "Well." Botan began. The other two turned their eyes towards her. "Didn't you say that your memories became hazy, when you came here to this world?"

"Yes, you did say that before, didn't you? So, you remember how you were in Makai?" Genkai added.

"Yeah, but the details escape me." He replied as he scratched his head. "I remember that I grew up in a nice village. I had siblings, then I ran away, I think. Honestly, not remembering these things aggravate me."

"I'm sure. Not remembering most of your life must be tough. What have you been doing up until now? From what you know."

"Wandering around, for the most part. I do remember playing pranks on people when I get bored though. Now, they were entertaining." He had said with maybe a bit too much excitement. This gained him disapproving looks from both women.

"Marvellous. Not only did you save an amesiac demon, but a trickster to add to that. Truly marvellous." Genkai muttered. Botan breathed a deep sigh. Some birthday this had turned out to be, for sure.

"I apologise?"

"Nevermind, here." Genkai said as she went to a cabinet. She took out a beautiful purple box with some red sequences and opened it.

"What's in there?" Kuronue asked suspiciously. For some reason he wouldn't like whatever Genkai would take out. He gulped when he saw the dark gleam in the old woman's eyes.

xxXxx

"This will be your room." Botan said as she laid out the futon. Kuronue glared at her from the doorway. "And if you continue to glare at me like that, I will take this away and let you lie on the floor. I doubt that would be very comfortable."

"Maybe I wouldn't need to glare if this damned thing weren't around my bloody neck! What the hell is this thing?!" He yelled as he tried to take the necklace off.

"I dunno. A necklace maybe?" She grinned when he continued to glower at her. "Grandma said she cast a spell of some kind on it. If you hurt me, grandma or anyone else for that matter then you would be punished."

"I get that already..." He sighed. He was too tired to argue any further, no matter how annoyed he may be. "Thanks."

"Hm?" She was surprised when he had said that. "What did you feel the need to thank me for?"

"The reasons are kinda obvious, when you think about it. For one thing, you did rescue me back there. If it weren't for you, god knows what would have happened to me. And to top it off, you helped with my injury." He gave a firm pat on his shoulder to prove his point. She gave him a small smile.

"Hm, I suppose that was a stupid question on my part. You're welcome." She let out a loud yawn. "We haven't even had dinner, yet I'm so tired." Kuronue nodded as he watched her walk past him and into the hallway. "I'm gonna see what's for dinner. You should rest." She was about to take another step but stopped mid-way when he didn't respond. She noticed that his face was downturned and could see a light frown on his face. "What is it?"

"I just wonder if I should stay here. Someone could be pursing me for all we know." She shrugged in response. "What? That's all you're going to give me? Aren't you even a little worried about this whole situation?" Botan looked a little angry at that comment.

"Off course I am, but what can I do about it? We can't just abandon you when your memories are all fuzzy. That just wouldn't be right."

"Tch, I thought you would say that."

"Then what's the problem?"

"My problem is why you should trust me? Necklace or not, I'm sure I could kill you before any punishment can reach me. You'd be better off if I left, wouldn't you?" She gave him a confused look.

"It's obvious, isn't it? It's not a matter of trusting, it's the opposite, actually. We don't trust you, not enough to just let you leave anyway. For all we know you could be lying to us. Or so my grandmother thinks." This caught Kuronue's attention.

"Then, what do you think?"

"Hm, I dunno!" Kuronue sweat dropped.

"Right, right. I get it. You don't know me enough, fair enough." He plopped onto the futon. "Might as well get comfortable. I'll be staying here for a while from the looks of it." He took his hat off and ran his hand through his hair. Botan was watching him the whole time. She began to blush when he took off his hat.

'Come to think of it. This is the first time I've seen him without his hat. He really is handsome.' She was startled when she saw him smile up at her.

"Like what you see?" He teased. Her face heated up tenfold.

"Y-you...!"

"I-I what?" She was so embarrassed for staring that she abruptly turned her head away. He continued to smirk as she took a few deep breaths. Her face started to turn back to it's normal colour.

"You're not worth my energy." With that she started down the hallway. "Goodnight, Mr Freeloader!" Kuronue began to laugh as she left down the hallway. He smiled slightly as soon as his laughter died down, but his expression changed as he glared at the necklace around his neck. He tried and tried to take it off, but it was like a barrier was placed around the piece of jewellery. After 5 whole minutes he finally decided to give up.

"Dammit..." He huffed as he bent his neck back and looked ahead at a desk nearby. He sat up and surveyed the rest of the room. It was plain. Not much to note on, which he liked. There was a plain looking lamp on top of the plain looking desk. He walked over to the wardrobe and saw nothing inside, as he expected, off course. He then opened the window and peered outside. It was too dark to see much but the lights of a nearby town, but he could tell the view was definitely a sight to behold during the day. 'I could do with much worse accommodation, I suppose.' He was grateful that it was Botan who found him and not some punk who got a kick out of the misery of others. That much was true.

He let out a yawn as he stretched his arms out. Right afterwards, his stomach began to rumble. He had hoped that no one was nearby to hear.

"It's a good thing dinner is ready." Off course someone had heard. He turned around, slightly embarrassed, to see genkai standing there, grinning.

"Say one word to anyone and you're dead." Genkai was unfazed.

"You say that to the woman who cooks your food? You really are a ballsy one, aren't you?" Kuronue blanched.

"Uh, you look absolutely ravishing for someone your age. Tell me your secret!" Genkai was not buying any of it.

"Ballsy is too light of a word for you. You don't even know my age nor do you know what I may look like on other days." Kuronue began to sweat. Sometimes, he really couldn't tell if this woman was being serious or not. "Off course, I wouldn't be a very good host if I let my guest starve to death, now would I?"

"So, you mean..."

"Idiot. I wouldn't go through all the trouble to give you that powerful necklace just to let you die. I'm not that generous."

"Generous?! What is this thing anyway? What will it do if I do attack someone?"

"Hm, good question." Kuronue was too shocked to reply.

"...huh?"

"It has been passed down in my family for centuries. All I know is if the wearer breaks the rule the owner has set, then the wearer will be in tremendous pain. There are no records of the punishment in any of our diaries, so how am I supposed to know?"

"You'd think you would use something that you are familiar with, rather than depend on an old family heirloom!" He snapped.

"Trust me, if I could then i would have. Why are you so angry about it? If you want to leave, then just leave, but that necklace stays with you. Even hurting an animal will trigger the necklace. So food is not an option."

"Then I'll buy something from the store."

"With what money?"

"I-" He couldn't answer that question. He really hated to be beat when it came to comebacks. So, he weighed his options. If he stayed, he could be able to heal and have access to food. If he left, no one could guarantee he wouldn't get attacked, and he wouldn't be able to fight back. Also, food wasn't an option. He stood up, letting out a deep sigh.

"So, have you decided?" He groaned, completely defeated.

"Yeah, I'll stay. No other choice." Genkai grinned at that.

"Good. I was hoping you weren't as stupid as you look. Come now." She then proceeded to walk down towards the kitchen. Her grin grew even wider when Kuronue shouted.

"Damn old woman!"

Tbc

Botan - Well, despite knowing that demons exist, life seems pretty normal. What? The weird crow guy from earlier? What does he want?

These three are fun to write, and Karasu is so mysterious.

Rad1anceU - Thank you for the review! So glad you liked it. Yeah, Botan is usually in her late teens in fanfics, I thought it would be nice to make her a little older. I may draw the wormpiders at some point!


	3. Chapter 3 - A Mysterious Power

Chapter 3

"I'm leaving now!" Botan yelled as she exited the Temple. She gave Genkai a hug before leaving for the stairs. Genkai watched her go. She breathed in the morning air, until her facial features began to turn into a frown.

'This demonic energy, is not normal.' She turned around and got out of the cold. 'Not normal at all.' She looked up as Kuronue came into the living room. "Sleep well?" He yawned in response.

"Yeah. Really well, actually. Thanks again." He sat down opposite her, pouring himself tea. Genkai took a sip of her own. "This place has a rather homely feel to it."

"Hm, someone has said that at one point. I don't understand it myself." Kuronue nodded, taking a small sip of his own. She saw the questioning look in his eyes. "You're curious, aren't you?" He jolted at the question, a little taken aback at how accurate she was.

"U-Uh, yeah. A little."

"Don't be too shocked. Over time, you realize how predictable people can be." She said. He simply nodded, waiting for her to continue. After another sip, she continued. "It was a few years ago, maybe more than a few. A young demon such as yourself found his way here, and in a not too different scenario as yours. I took him in and healed him. We had a similar conversation as this."

"Oh. So, what happened to this demon?"

"He's Botan's grandfather." Kuronue's eyes widened.

"...what?"

"It's not what you think. She shows no signs of being a demon. I'm not quite sure on the biology of offsprings of the two beings, but so far, she only gives off human energy. Her mother was the same."

"Wow. So, she obviously, isn't aware of this?"

"Obviously, but now that she's aware of demons, I may have to tell her at some point." Kuronue was silent, needing time to think of more questions. He felt that Genkai was currently being generous. God knows when he may get another chance to ask the psychic.

"Why tell me all this? I'm just another demon. You have no obligation to tell me anything."

"To tell you the truth. Botan is quite a lonely girl."

"...huh? What's she got to do with this?" Genkai rolled her eyes.

"Botan can be herself around you. She shows many emotions around you. If your conversation last night was of any indicator, that is. Truth be told, I haven't seen her like that with anyone since her parents died." Kuronue was doubtful. They only met the night prior. There was no way that Botan was comfortable around him, nor him around her. He was basically here against his will. Heck, if he could, he wouldn't be there. He would have fled the Temple as soon as he had transformed back.

'And yet, I didn't. I had plenty of time before Genkai put this damned necklace around my neck. Why is that?'

\- "I was attacked. Not sure by who, but they were strong. Actually, my memory has been quite fuzzy ever since I came here to Ningenkai."-

'Hm? Was that why? I have no one else I can turn to here. At least, not from what I remember. If I leave, then how will I know I won't find whoever gave me this cut?' He covered his wound with his palm, flinching slightly when he made contact. 'I think it's safe to say, that I'm safer here. Yes, that's got to be the reason why. I decided to stay because I have a better chance here than anywhere else.'

"You've been dead quiet for a while now. What were you thinking?"

"A-ah, nothing much! Not much at all! Hahaha!" Genkai hummed.

"Sure. Well, any more questions? I feel that my generosity is wearing thin. Who knows when I will be nice enough to continue this conversation." Kuronue's head was spinning. It was far too early in the morning to digest this much information. He feared he would explode if he had to take in much more.

"N-no, I'll be fine. I'm sure I've asked all of the important questions anyway."

"If you're sure." Kuronue let out a sigh, but then his mind came up with another question.

"Wait! What happened to your hus-"

"Nope, time's up. Better luck next time." Kuronue let out another sigh.

"I see. It's none of my business anyway."

"Now, since I've been so kind this morning. How about you do a little something for me? It's the least you could do." Kuronue nodded hesitantly.

"Yeah. Fair enough. What is it?"

xxXxx

Botan carefully made her way towards the last step. Her feet made a crunching noise as she stepped on a leaf. "It's turning out to be a nice autumn this year!" She said, eyes following a leaf as it made it's way down to the earth below. She continued along the path leading into town, somewhat more wary of her surroundings. Now that she was aware that demons existed and was able to see them, she has no choice but to be more careful.

'Grandmother also said that those who could see them were more likely to be attacked. Creepy...' In the end, it was probably a bad idea to go out anywhere under these circumstances, but there was no way this would deter her from continuing her normal life. She stopped walking as she spotted the same robin from the day earlier. Getting out some bird feed, she kneeled down a few feet away and held out her hand. The robin didn't hesitate to go to her and fed on the seeds straight away.

"I wonder if you could be a demon?" She stared down happily at it for a few minutes when the bird abruptly stopped and flew away immediately afterwards. "Hm?" Botan stood up once again, confusion taking over. "What was that about?"

"I think I may know the answer." Spoke a dark, ominous voice. She quickly turned around and saw the crow-like man from the previous day.

"I-it's you." The man rolled his eyes.

"Yes, yes. It's me." He pushed away from the tree he had been leaning against and walked a few feet towards her, she too took a few steps away from him. "There is no need to be so afraid. If I wanted to hurt you I would have done so yesterday. I had more than a few chances. Yet, you're still standing, not a scratch to be seen." Even after hearing those words, Botan couldn't help but start to tremble.

"Then, why are you here?" She whispered.

"Hm?"

"I-It's as you said. If you wanted to hurt me you would have done so, right? Why are you, here?" He merely continued to stare at her, which terrified her even more. 'What's the matter with me? He wasn't this forboding yesterday. And that was before I could even see his face. Now, he's way creepier.'

"Ah, you are correct in assuming that I could have hurt you, but you needn't fear in that aspect." Botan's trembling went down, but only by a little. "Infact, there is something I would like you to help me with." Botan's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"There is?"

"You see, I never let anyone stay alive after seeing me without a reason."

"O-Oh yeah? And what, p-pray tell, is your reason this time?" The man folded his arms and once again leaned against a tree. The dark aura had become less forboding, enough for Botan to relax somewhat. 'This guy is dangerous. I can't relax completely. Please let his favor be an easy one.'

"An easy favor, you were hoping?" Her eyes widened when he had said this. "Don't act so surprised. It is a reasonable question to ask at this point. For if it's easy, is entirely up to your potential."

"My...my potential?"

"Yes, you see, there is this organisation centered here in Tokyo. The Spirit Detective Organisation. SDO, for a quicker word." He paused to give her time to digest this information. She nodded for him to continue. 'It's good to see that after all these years my demonic aura can still intimidate to this degree.'

"The SDO is led by the Prince of Reikai, Koenma. For reasons I will not say, he was exiled from Reikai 113 years ago. In order for him to accomplish his goal, he needs as many spirit detectives as possible. As he says."

"What is a Spirit Detective, exactly? I understand that you need them, but what does this have to do with me?" He stepped away from the tree then disappeared. She jolted in fright, taking a few steps back. Her back eventually hit something hard. She stood stock still.

"One question at a time, young one." A thin, boney finger tilted her head to the side, until she was looking directly at him. "They are those who hunt down youkai, like me, sometimes humans. I suppose you can call them the police for the supernatural." She blinked and nodded slightly, for that was all that she could manage to do. "The only way you could become one, however, is if someone higher up in the organisation spotted potential in you. They are then given a test to see if that potential was real, or a fake." She nodded again. A second later her eyes widened. She pulled herself away from his reach. Somehow finding the courage to move from his cold stare.

"So, what? You see potential in me, is that it?" She saw that his eyes were not quite as cold as a second earlier. 'Who the hell is this whackjob?'

"What else?" He stood straighter as he put his hands in his pockets.

"When did you feel this potential? I've only met you once." Now, she could have sworn she saw the faintest hint of sadness, but it was gone just as quickly. 'I'm surprised I was able to catch that.'

"That's for me to know." In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

"... Hey! Don't just disappear like that!" She yelled. Looking around, she found he was already gone. "Just great! Just when I was finally getting somewhere with him, then he disappears. At least his dark aura is gone. What a creep."

"Better not say that too loud again, he may be still around." Kuronue commented from on top of a tree near where she was. Botan puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.

"You demons are more annoying than scary so far." Kuronue stuck his tongue out at her in response. She did the same. "Oh crap! What time is it?"

"Let me take a look at my watch." He said as he held his wrist in front of him in mockery. "Oh, did I forget to mention it's imaginary?"

"I don't have time for your jokes!" She said as she ran towards her workplace. Kuronue let out a sigh.

"Buzzkill."

xxXxx

"It's sure a slow morning." Ken Sasaki murmured. The cafe was unusually slow today. It is a small neighbourhood area just outside of Tokyo, but it tended to be busy with people driving through in the mornings, however, this was not a good morning for business. At all. Maya was leaning by the counter nearby, just as bored as Ken was.

"So, this is the 'exciting' cafe my brother was raging about? He has bizarre taste. Then again, I always knew he was the weird one." Ken let out a huff in response.

"Don't know if exciting is the word I would tend to use, but I swear it's busy on most days. Wait..." This caught Maya's attention.

"Hm?"

"Aren't there rumours going around of people disappearin', er somethin'? You know, just vanishing into thin air and the like? It's quite the creepy situation." Maya's expression grew bored once again.

"Oh, that...yeah, that's what they say."

"Aren't you worried about it? Surely someone's escortin you home?" Maya nodded.

"Yep! Despite being a huge lug, my brother has. And no, I don't believe in that kind of thing. People just vanishing? No way can things like that hap-"

"Sorry I'm late!" Botan yelled as she closed the door behind her. Ken stood up to greet her.

"Don't worry about it. Have a look, no customers. So you're safe." He gave her the thumbs up. Maya went to stand beside her and grimaced.

"Is it just me, or is he sparkling?" Botan nodded.

"Yep! You'll get used to it." She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Now, since we're work buddies, we should set aside our differences, okay?!" Maya said.

"Uh, why are you shouting? What are you talking about anyway?" Maya blinked a few times.

"You honestly don't remember?" After Botan shook her head Maya let out a sigh. "Whatever. I suppose it was quite a petty reason anyway." The blunette tilted her head in confusion. "I said forget it! It doesn't matter alright?!" She stormed away back to the till, expression growing bored once again.

"What on earth..." Botan let out a deep sigh and proceeded to the back to change into her work clothes. While she was away, Ken turned to the front door when he thought he had heard something outside.

"Hm? That's odd." As soon as he said that, the front of his store was destroyed, as if exploding. "Wh-what the? Was it a bomb?!" Maya took hurried steps backwards.

"It couldn't be, we, we'd be dead, wouldn't we?" Botan ran out of the room but stood still in fear. What stood in front of them was a brown, grotesque demon. It had three eyes, each going in different directions, as if searching for something. It easily towered over them, reaching at least 8 feet.

"A-a demon? What's one doing here?"

"Demon? What are you talking about?!" Maya said. Botan stared at the two of them in confusion.

"Wait. You mean you can't see it?" The demon was still searching, ignoring the humans in front of him.

"Where is it? Where is it? It's here somewhere." It said in a dark, raspy voice. Botan's brow furrowed.

'Where is it? Where's what? What is he searching for?' Her eyes wandered towards Maya and Ken who were cautiously going towards the front. "Hey! Don't go that way!" Her yelling caught the demon's attention. Her face grew pale as the demon began to move towards the two humans.

"Do one of you two have it?" In a motion quicker than Botan could shout out to them he lashed his hand out and batted them away,

"Maya! Mr Sasaki!" The demon turned towards her.

"Hm. Maybe I'll search you instead." Botan was able to move out of the way of his arm. She landed harshly to the ground. She slowly and painfully got up and grimaced as she saw the floorboards right where she had been standing. His hand had went right through it, a large gap left behind as he brought his hand back.

"So, you really can see me? Interesting." The demon spoke, his teeth showing as he did. His teeth were very pointy, which made Botan even more terrified. She quickly looked towards Maya and Ken and saw that they had passed out. Her head snapped back to the demon as it moved closer to her. "What's that around your neck? Lemme see." She quickly ran to the side, avoiding his hand.

"Stay away from me." She said with a shaky voice. The demon turned all three of it's eyes towards her.

"Ah, I see it! It's what I've been looking for!" His hand lashed out again, and caught her by the neck. She tried desperately to claw at it's hand but it didn't seem to faze him. His eyes looked directly at her necklace. "Yes. My boss will be most pleased!"

'B-boss?' She cried out as his hold tightened.

"Heheh, you'd make a very delectable dessert, my dear." Botan grimaced.

Outside Kuronue was standing by a tree. He, for some reason, was itching to get into the action, however. "I'd help out, but, you know the whole can't hurt anyone rule and all? Plus, I haven't got my scythe!" One of the demon's eyes turned towards him.

"And you'd make an excellent main course meal!" He said a little too gleefully. Kuronue, in turn, also grimaced.

"What's that supposed to mean?! You calling me fat?!" Botan rolled her eyes at the exchange, but luckily all three of the demon's eyes were now on the bat demon freeloader.

'This is a good chance as any.' Before the two demon's knew it, she swung one of her legs back and gave the ugly brute a strong kick. Strong enough to make the demon's hold on her loosen enough for her to break free. Kuronue blinked a few times.

"Wow. Remind me to not get on her bad side. That looked liked it hurt. A lot." The ugly demon growled. Botan gave a proud smile when she saw a big bruise on it's chest. The demon was super pissed now.

'Crap! Now what do I do? He's even angrier than before, and now the element of surprise is gone thanks to that kick. There's no way he'd let me get close enough to do that again!' She backed away as the demon was getting closer. The demon was towering over her, claws getting closer.

"Crap." Kuronue said, feeling useless since he could not do anything. Just then, he felt something fly past him. "Wha?" Botan's eyes had shut closed, waiting for the impact of the demon's claws. She then felt something wet reach her face. Blood. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes and didn't expect to see a crow land in front of her. The demon stood back a few steps, also surprised.

"What is this? How can a little bird injure me?" There was a nasty looking gash on his right shoulder. However, the injury was quickly closing itself up.

"Hm. It would appear that you are a fast healer. I suspect that you didn't always have this ability." Botan looked up to her left to see Karasu.

"Oh, it's you again." Karasu let out a sigh as he turned his attention towards her.

"In all my glory." She rolled her eyes at that. "Now is not the time for games."

"You were the one joking around..." She muttered as she stood up.

"What was that?" He asked, eyes glaring at her. She let out a shiver and stood back.

'Hehe, I forgot who exactly I was speaking to for a moment. This guy is terrifying.' She shook her head and turned her attention back to the demon still standing in front of them. "Ah, forget I said anything." Karasu merely crossed his arms and lazily made so he was turned towards the demon also. The demon let out another growl. Two of his eyes were towards them while the third was eyeing Kuronue who had moved behind him. "Get outta here, freeloader! You'll get hurt!"

'She's right. Why am I even here?' He eyed the necklace around his neck. The light shone on it, reminding him of it's existance. He let out a growl, and tried to pull it off once again. The barrier again, making it impossible to take off. "Shit!" He looked up when one of the demon's hands stretched towards him. He barely jumped out of the way as the demon's hands nicked his side. "Tch."

"Freeloader!"

"It's Kuronue! Got that? K-U-R-O-"

"Alright! Shut up already!" Karasu sighed once again.

"Imbeciles." He brought his eyes back to the demon. One of it's eyes were staring back at him. Although, it seemed to be fixated mainly on Botan. "Hm, you should be wary." Botan stared up at him.

"What?" Karasu kept silent. The demon turned his back towards Kuronue and brought his full attention to Botan and himself. Kuronue jumped back on top of a tree, out of harms way.

Karasu kept his gaze locked on the demon. "Tell me, do you want the power to protect those around you?" He then brought his gaze towards her. "You do, don't you?" Botan was hesitant, the three-eyed demon's prescence forgotten.

'I know if I say yes, then I will have to become a spirit detective, won't I?' She didn't want to, not really. Although, she had little choice in the matter. Her attention was brought back to the demon that made a step towards them. Karasu did not make any movement, eyes still on the girl.

"So, what will you do?" The demon made another step, which made Botan begin to sweat.

"I." Another step.

"I." An image of Maya and her boss came to her mind. 'If I don't then, who will look after them?' The demon started to run towards them.

"You're mine!" It yelled. Botan closed her eyes. Karasu smirked under his mask.

"I accept!" Suddenly, a bright purple light shone around her. The demon was forced back by the power the light emmited.

"Aaarghh, what the?" Botan slowly opened her eyes, finding that she felt warm. Around her, all she saw was purple. For some reason, she felt nostalgic, as if this power was once hers. She felt safe, and never wanted to leave, however, she knew that demon would continue to cause havoc, and she doubted Karasu would save the others. So, she did the next thing she felt was right. She held out her right arm, palm upright. She was surprised to see a gem-like shape begin to fade into existance on her hand.

"A gem? Actually, an amethyst?" As soon as she said amethyst, the gem completely formed and a purple glove also appeared. The bright purple light faded and she could see the demon once again. The fear found it's way back to her. 'Now what? What's a glove gonna do?' Karasu noted her fear.

"Call out the word bow." She looked to him confused.

"Huh?"

"Just do as I say." He was calm but she could detect exasperation in his voice. So she obeyed.

"Fine, I will. Bow!" She was again surprised to see just that appear attached to her gloved hand. It was also purple, but very light. It was around her height.

"Now, draw back as if you would a bow and arrow." She nodded.

"Eh? What was that light just now?" Kuronue wondered as he got back onto the branch he was just on. He rubbed his eyes, then turned his attention back to Botan. Now, he was even more confused as he saw her hold a bow. "I didn't know she could do archery. Wait. Why's it so bright?" His attention was brought back to the demon below him. "Uh oh."

"I'll get you now!" It yelled as it ran towards her. A few beads of sweat ran down her forehead. She drew back as she was told, an arrow had automatically formed as she did.

"Now, fire." Without hesitation, she did just that. The demon saw the arrow coming and tried to dodge out of the way. He managed to dodge so the arrow didn't cause a serious injury, but it still hit his arm.

"Drats! She missed!" Kuronue said. Botan went wide-eyed as the demon continued towards her, ignoring the pain the arrow had caused. She didn't have the speed to draw another arrow in time, as the demon was too close. She shut her eyes, waiting for the demon to strike her. But no such strike was made, instead, she heard an explosion and a blood curdling cry. She opened her eyes and was met with the demon's dead body. Well, half of it. The bottom half had seemed to be blown away to her far right. She took a few steps back.

"What...happened?" She looked up to Karasu in hopes of finding as answer.

"Nothing really, just one of my bombs." It took Botan a few minutes to process what he just said.

"Huh? You mean," She then narrowed her eyes in anger and stomped up to him. "You could have killed the demon at any time?!" The crow demon merely shrugged and turned towards the cafe. "Where are you going?" By now, Kuronue deemed it safe enough to stand beside her. He let out a whistle.

"Wow, one bomb did all that? Impressive." Botan sighed.

"Most bombs can do that amount of damage at the right distance. What I wanna know is why he didn't do this sooner!" Karasu shook his head.

"Do I honestly need to explain it?" At their blank stares, he too let out a sigh. "Imbeciles. I did it so you could obtain that power. Without it, there was no way you can take part in the test for a spirit detective."

"I don't want to do it!"

"Tough luck." He made his way into the cafe, ignoring her glaring. Kuronue gave her a pat on the head.

"Hey, I think you did pretty good. Epecially since that was your first time using a bow." Botan's expression softened. Afterall, it was Karasu she was mad at. She smiled at him.

"Thank you." Kuronue grinned back.

"Sure!"

TBC

Kuronue - Now things seem to be getting fired up, and next time I join Botan as she starts her test. Wait, why do we have to go into a haunted house?!

So yeah, hey! I'm still around. So, I'll be updating this fanfic and one other. I've opened a poll and will close it in a week

RBTWILIGHTforever - Thank you girl! You keep up your writing too!

Little-Fairy-Artist - Hehe! Glad you like his character in this

Rad1anceU - Thank you! Yeah, freeloader is the perfect name for right now. You'll be seeing a lot of Karasu in this, I assure you, and he does have a big roll too. I might actually draw the wormpiders at some point


End file.
